Interesting Pet Events Archive

With fall arriving, many things come to mind: changing leaves, football season, pumpkin spice lattes and, of course, HALLOWEEN! We’re as excited as you are for the Halloween season to start, which is why we’ve launched our Halloween Shopin-store and online a little early! This collection is filled with hilarious costumes, fun toys, festive collars and more!

For the furry friend that is more into entertainment than dressing up, we have some Halloween toys that are sure to give you hours of fun! From plush favorites like the Devil Sock Monkey Toy to tough ones like the Jack-O-Lantern Rope Toy, we have a toy for every spooky entertainment seeker.

We’re adding a cherry on top of this Halloween sundae – we’ll be hosting special Halloween parties and costume contests at our Southern California stores! To take part in the fun, stop by our Solana Beach, La Jolla and Fashion Island stores on Saturday, October 25th from 4-6PM. Check our Facebook page for more information on these events and how you can sign your pup up for the contest!

We hope to help you and your hounds prepare for a very Happy Halloween!

It’s that time of the year again – Labor Day is over, September is in full swing, and the 9th Annual Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon + Beach Day is on! Join us this Sunday at the Del Mar Dog Beach from 8AM-2PM for this exciting event, featuring a Surf Dog Competition, a Paddle Board Parade and a ton of booths, including Muttropolis! Surf Dog is hosted by the Helen Woodward Animal Center; money raised from this event goes towards the orphaned animals at the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

If you think your pup has what it takes to enter the Surf Dog Competition, you can register here. Competition contestants will participate in ten minute heats based on your pup’s weight class. First place pups from each heat will move on to the finals, where the top three finalists will be crowned!

If you’re interested in participating in Surf Dog’s first ever Paddle Paws Parade, register here. This is a fun, new event where pups and their parents dress up in costumes and paddle board – how fun, right?!

If you’re more into watching rather than participating, that’s great too – there will be TONS of booths featuring everything from food to pet training to (yours truly) Muttropolis! We’ll be there with Ruffwear showing everyone the cool (literally!) products Ruffwear has for summertime.

Like we said, this yearly event is taking place this Sunday, September 7th, from 8AM-2PM. We hope to see you and your pup there!

Today is one of our favorite holidays – National Mutt Day! This special holiday has an interesting history: it was founded by dog lover and philanthropist Colleen Page in 2005 and is celebrated twice a year (today and December 2nd). National Mutt Day is a day for embracing, saving and celebrating all types of mixed breed dogs. Want to celebrate this day dedicated to Mutts? Here are a few ideas: take your pup to the park, spoil them by getting them a pupcake, or, if you’re in the Newport Beach area, stop by our Fashion Island store at 7PM for a National Mutt Day Celebration!

In honor of Mutts near and far, here’s a little Mutt 101 from us to you:

Fall is
fast approaching and the first holiday on the docket is Halloween! In
anticipation for this fun-filled time of year and all of the festivities that
surround it, we’ve already opened our spooktacular Halloween Boo-tique in
stores and online. It’s filled with adorable get-ups for your little
tricksters!

Our buying
team has sniffed out this season’s hottest Halloween pet costumes, tantalizing
toys, apparel and accessories to ensure that all of our four-legged customers
are pawsitively the best dressed pooches! The Headless Horseman, Golfer,Mexican Zarape and Flapper dog costumes are just a few of our favorites this
year, so act fast to get the best selection. It’s never too soon to prepare our
pups for the season!

Also, mark your
calendars because as we near the holiday we’ll be hosting Halloween parties with
costume contests and more at all three of our Southern
California store locations. To take part in the fun, stop
by our Solana Beach Muttropolis store on Saturday, October 19th at 6PM,
our La Jolla Muttropolis store on Friday, October 25th at 6PM, or our
Newport Beach Muttropolis store on Friday, October 25th at 7PM.

We hope to
help you and your hounds prepare for a very Happy Halloween!

We’re happy
to announce our attendance at this year’s Dog Days of Summer. This will
be the 8th year for this annual canine festival and contest in
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, often referred to as the largest dog-centric event in San Diego! The
festivities kick off at 10AM on Saturday, August 10th and run until
4PM that evening.

This day-long
event draws in roughly 10,000 attendees and over 200 vendors. As one of those
vendors, we will be raffling off a $25 gift card and selling additional $25
gift cards for only $20. We will also have a variety of specialty, cooling-focused
pet products available for purchase.

Attendees
and their pups will get to enjoy tasty food, dog contests, a kid’s zone, doggie
cool zone, doggie photo booth, an agility course, silent auction, and much
much more. Local shelters and rescue organizations will also be in attendance
offering adoption opportunities.

Dog Days of
Summer is presented by Cardiff 101 Main Street located at 2139 B Newcastle Avenue, Cardif-by-the-Sea,
CA 92007.
A free shuttle will run from the Encinitas
City Hall and pups are allowed
on board. For more information visit www.cardiffdogdaysofsummer.com.

What’s this unconditional
love we speak of? The love you receive from a four-legged family member of
course! If you’re in the market to make an addition to your family, we’d like
to share with you some benefits, pointers, and upcoming events in hopes of helping you
find your perfect match. We agree with The Humane Society that the following
benefits are reason enough to choose adoption!

You’ll save a life!

Unfortunately millions of
dogs and cats are euthanized each year because more pets are being given up to
shelters than those getting adopted from shelters. This number can only be
reduced if adoption numbers rise. In some cases, making the choice to adopt
means that you’ll be saving two lives instead of one, the one you adopt and the
space you make for another homeless animal to come into the shelter, allowing
them a chance to be adopted too!

You’ll find a healthy pet!

Many people assume that
animals in shelters are there because they were abused or have something wrong
with them, when the reality is that most animals end up in shelters due to
problems that their owners encountered (i.e. moving, divorce, lack of time
or money). Most shelters give their animals thorough examinations, vaccinations,
and some even spay or neuter. It isn’t uncommon for a shelter to also do
behavior screening to ensure that you’ll be adopting a pet right for you.

You’ll save money!

Adopting a pet is much less
expensive than buying one from another source whether it’s a pet store or breeder.
And if you get a pet that’s already spayed or neutered, you’ll be saving that
expense as well.

You’ll help in the fight against puppy mills and pet stores!

A few weeks back we shared our
thoughts on puppy mills. We don’t agree with these profit driven
dog-breeding operations for a number of reasons, most importantly being their
shockingly inhuman treatment of animals. Because animals from puppy mill are
often sold in pet stores, the only way to bring their practices to a halt is to
stop purchasing animals from those retailers. By adopting, you can rest assured
that you are in no way supporting these cruel practices.

You’ll feel better!

Not only do pets give you
unconditional love, but they also have the power to put a smile on your face
and overall joy in your life. Pets have been shown to be psychologically,
emotionally and physically beneficial! They provide a sense of purpose and a
form of companionship. In a sense, they can be good medicine for anyone’s
well-being.

—–

So now you’re probably
wondering how to start the process. Well here are a few pointers from Petfinder
that we thought would start you out on the right foot. Petfinder is a great
resource and also offers excellent pointers on choosing the right pet
once you’ve found the right shelter.

1) Search
out and select a few nearby shelters. Use online resources or your
local phone book to find nearby shelters or rescue groups. Depending on where
you live, you may need to travel a few hours to find the right fit. We host adoptions each month at all three of
our Southern California Muttropolis store
locations, a great opportunity to meet your next four-legged
family member. See details below.

2) Avoid
shelters that use very similar, general descriptions for their dogs. Chances
are these shelters probably don’t know the personalities of their pets very
well.

3) Ask
each shelter about their return policy. You want to find a shelter
that will accept the pet back at any time for the remainder of their life. This
shows that they are accepting full responsibility for each animal they come in
contact with.

4) Ask
each shelter about their adoption procedures. For
many families it is important that every member is able to visit with the pet
outside of their kennel. If you run into a shelter that does not allow this,
take them off your list and move on to the next.

5) Ask
each shelter about their criteria for determining which pets are ready for
adoption. Reputable shelters do temperament testing to
ensure that potentially dangerous pets are not available for adoption. If the
shelter you visit doesn’t deem this important, you and your family could be at
risk.

6) Attend
a training class or two. Search out a trainer that you like who
motivates dogs with treats, toys and praise. Trainers, and their clients, can
be a great source for recommending shelters.If you encounter people who found their pet at a shelter, ask
about their experience.

7) Look beyond
a clean and/or new exterior when visiting shelters. A
great team who truly cares for their animals is what you need to be looking for.
Some old or rundown shelters are staffed with fantastic people and house great animals,
but there are also shelters that are just as bad as they look. This goes for
the new, clean and bright shelters as well. Some treat their animals and potential
adopters well, but others are more a façade. Look for these things when you
visit the shelters you’re considering, and don’t be fooled.

8) Have
an open mind about the “kind” of dog you want. If
you go to a shelter with a predetermined list of qualifications (age, breed,
sex, size, color, etc) you may have a tough time finding that perfect match.

—–

Are you a Southern
Californian? Then you’re in luck! As mentioned previously, we hold adoptions
each month at all three of our store locations.
We partner with local shelters and rescue groups to do
our part in saving as many lives as we can. So far this year we’ve had 15 pets
adopted at our events, and last year we had 33. Now that doesn’t include those
introductions that later led to adoptions, as we only have numbers for “on-the-spot”
adoptions, but we are hopeful that more came from those initial introductions. We
love to help how we can, so take a look at our upcoming adoptionslisted below and if you’re in the
market for a new pet, visit us soon!

Muttropolis La Jolla:

SNAP Adoption – Saturday,
July 27th at 11:00am

SNAP Adoption – Saturday, August
31st at 11:00am

Muttropolis Solana
Beach:

Four Paws Coonhound Adoption –
Saturday, August 3rd at 12:00pm

Muttropolis Newport Beach:

Recycled Pets SoCal Adoption
– Saturday, July 27th at 12:00pm

Recycled Pets SoCal Adoption
– Saturday, August 10th at 12:00pm

For further details, please visit the Events page on Muttropolis.com,
or find us on Facebook.

Did you
know there is a Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWDay)?
Or better yet, an entire week? June 17th-21st has been
designated Take Your Pet To Work Week, with
Friday the 21st chosen as the special day. What a great occasion don’t you think? Not only does it get your
four-legged friend out of the house for the day, it also promotes pet adoption!

So how does
it work? We’re urging all pet lovers to celebrate the human-canine bond by
encouraging their employers to support Take
Your Dog To Work Day. Let your employer know that supporting and partaking
in this day promotes pet adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and
breed rescues. This occasion dates back to 1999 when it was created by Pet Sitters International (PSI)to
celebrate what great companions dogs make.

PSI put together
a handy list of tips to ensure that you and your pup are prepared for the big
day! Below is an overview, but to see each tip explained in more detail clickhere.

Good Planning + Good Dog = A Good Day

1. Do an office check

2. Puppy-proof your work space

3. Bathe and groom your dog before its
office debut

4. Prepare a doggie bag

5. Plan your pet’s feeding times
carefully

6. Avoid forcing co-workers to interact
with your dog

7. Have an exit strategy

Pet Sitters
International (PSI) asks that those businesses and employees who participate focus
on the fun and celebrate the value of pets in the workplace, all while emphasizing
and educating about the importance of adoption. PSI also requests that their
permission be granted before using TYDTWDay
events to advertise or promote specific products or services. Their licensing
and sponsorship opportunities can be found here.

We’re happy
to announce our attendance at this year’s Encinitas
Pet Health Expo on Sunday, June 2nd. The expo is an excellent
opportunity for pets and owners to enjoy an array of fun activities while
promoting better health and wellbeing across the pet population. Doors open at
9:30AM and admission is free for all two-legged and four-legged attendees!

Activities
will include professional pet photos, grooming, a contest for the “Best Trick”,
and a neuter scooter clinic. Informational booths, vendors and rescue
organizations will also be in attendance, giving away free goodies and prizes
as well as information and ideas to encourage pet health and wellness. At ourMuttropolis booth, we will be handing
out delicious and nutritious food samples from our vast assortment of All Natural Dog Food. We will also be
offering visitors the chance to win a $25 Muttropolis Gift Card by signing up
for our raffle.

In addition
to all of the fun and informative festivities, the County Department of Animal
Services will be on site offering dog licensing, rabies shots and
micro-chipping for residents of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar,
Santee, San Diego and unincorporated San Diego.

This year’s
expo will be held at the Encinitas
Civic Center
located at 505 S. Vulcan Ave., Encinitas, California
92024. It will
run from 9:30AM to 1:00PM and as mentioned admission is free for all. So mark
your calendar for June 2nd and join us in this movement to make a
positive impact on your pet’s life and the lives of pets everywhere!

Mother’s
Day is right around the corner, so we’ve launched a photo contest on Facebook
for those women with four-legged kiddos. Please post your favorite Mommy + Me
picture on our Muttropolis Facebook Page
for all to enjoy and for a chance to win a $150 Muttropolis Gift Card! Our
contest is running through Mother’s Day, Sunday April 12th. The
winner will be selected at random and announced on Monday, April 13th.
We can’t wait to see your snapshots!

We’re happy
to announce our participation in the 22nd
Annual Pug Party put on by Pug
Rescue of San Diego County (PRSDC), an all-volunteer organization dedicated
to rescuing unwanted, neglected, abandoned or relinquished pugs and placing
them in new, loving and caring home environments. The party will take place
from 10AM to 4PM at the Infield Pavilion area of the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.

The Del Mar
Pug Party is the PRSDC’s largest fundraiser, with over 500 pugs in attendance each
year. This year’s theme is “Pug Super Heroes,” with costume contests, talent
competitions and chow down competitions for all pug attendees to enjoy. Contest
entry fees are $5 per pug per contest. After enjoying those activities, pugs
can relax and socialize at the exclusive Pug Café while owners shop at the
Unique Pug Boutique and vendor booths, enter in the raffle for a chance to win
one of the 20 basket prizes, or socialize over refreshments. There will also be
an “Ask the Vet” booth with three registered veterinarian technicians available
to answer questions and clip nails.

Our involvement
in this year’s event includes the donation of a raffle prize and attendance at
a vendor booth. We’ll be offering specially selected, pug perfect products
including Buddy Belt Dog Harnessesand matching Buddy Belt Leashes,
all handcrafted from 100% soft, double-layered leather. Buddy Belt Dog Harnesses
are one of our most popular harnesses and come highly recommended by
veterinarians as they provide both comfort and control while eliminating any
stress on the pet’s neck. The leather is very durable, yet softens and molds to
the pet’s body for a custom fit.

To help pugs
beat the heat we’ll also haveGulpy
Water Dispensers. These dispensers are a great way to take H2O on the go,
functioning as both a water bottle and bowl in one. And for treats, we will
have Mutt Munchers, our Muttropolis exclusive
dog treats made locally in Southern California.
Grain-free with only all natural, human-grade ingredients, Mutt Munchers are
delicious and nutritious, available in a variety of flavors for pup’s differing
dietary needs and preferences.

The Annual
Pug Party will be a fun-filled, memorable event for all, and we are very happy
to be a part. For more information about the PRSDC’s 22nd Annual Pug
Party, visit www.pugbutts.com.

Please note: Due to a new
requirement by Del
Mar, proof of each pug’s rabies vaccination will be needed for entry. Those
without documentation may need to sign a release statement certifying that
their dog(s) do not have such vaccinations. The waiver is available at
www.pugbutts.com. Pug Rescue regrets any inconvenience this new rule by Del Mar may cause.